Archive for the ‘AEC’ Category

A dedication ceremony for the Chrysalis — part sculpture, part amphitheater, part park pavilion — tucked in the woods of Columbia, Maryland, allowed the community and project stakeholders alike to fully experience the structure’s scale and precision firsthand.

Despite the widespread adoption of BIM tools among design professionals, the AEC industry is still in many ways at the surface of the true benefits BIM platforms can offer.

“BIM should not be seen as just a way to do a beautiful 3D image from the project, but as a tool for true collaboration that should be the industry standard,” commented Jonathan Riondet, AEC industry solution technical director for Dassault Systèmes, during a recent presentation at BIM World.

At the Design in the Age of Experience 2017 AEC Hackathon, we brought 13 CATIA R&D experts from Dassault Systèmes together with 17 architectural design professionals from the world’s most progressive firms, including:

Zaha Hadid Architects

SHoP Architects

HKS Architects

Kengo Kuma and Associates

Morphosis

ZAHNER

CO Architects

New Jersey Institute of Technology

CadMaker

The objective of the hackathon was to create innovative building designs in under 24 hours with CATIA’s latest generative modeling applications on the 3DEXPERIENCE platform.

Imagine the possibilities if you could design buildings that combine the artistry of stunning craftsmanship with the science of building.

Over the last several decades, the Architecture, Engineering & Construction (AEC) industry has required cost effective project delivery, while customers still demand high quality and advanced systems design. The fragmented processes across designers, architects, engineers and fabricators combined with traditional design tools, have contributed to this by constraining the possibilities for design.

The good news is that many leading companies have found ways to break down those barriers to seamlessly connect design to fabrication. As a result, they can unleash creative potential and standout from their competition, without sacrificing deadlines or budget.

Combine Art and Engineering

A beautiful building stands out. It even creates a sense of awe that draws people to it. It inspires and creates an emotional connection that makes people feel better in the space. It’s the artistry of that building that shapes that emotion.(more…)

Architecture is at the crossroads of technology, society, and material sciences. As illustrated by The Economist in the infographic below, the major trends dramatically influencing the future of our built environment are:

DESIGN IN THE AGE OF EXPERIENCE™ is happening April 4-5, 2017 in Milan. This gathering of members of the global design community is an exciting opportunity to exchange best practices and explore industry trends.

AEC professionals attending in person or following along online will benefit from the conversations and experiences we have planned.

A. Zahner Company is a family business. “That’s 210 families; one for each of our employees,” L. William Zahner, CEO and president, said.

Founded in 1897, the architectural engineering and fabrication firm began making decorative metal cornices for buildings.

Now in its fourth generation of the Zahner family, it imagines, designs, fabricates and installs some of the world’s most innovative structures in cooperation with leading architectural practices including Frank Gehry and Zaha Hadid Architects.

With a turnover approaching US$50 million, the company employs 30 design engineers; another 90 employees work on production and installation.

“Combining experience, skill, technology and craft, we make the complex simple and get buildings built on time and within or below budget,” Zahner said.

The firm works on signature architectural projects where design intent must be retained, despite the inefficient complexities of what Zahner describes as, “a very fragmented AEC industry.”(more…)

Through new digital platforms, companies like A. Zahner Company are setting the example for how an integrated supply chain can significantly reduce rework on highly complex projects.

When the experts responsible for fabrication and installation can provide insight early in the design process, and all parties have the tools they need to collaborate closely throughout, construction waste can be reduced.

Owners are enjoying the benefits of collaborative project teams, which include:

reduced waste

stronger adherence to schedules

reduced costs

Collaboration is improving through the adoption of cloud-based 3D modeling solutions. Such tools assemble and empower teams across multiple organizations and geographies to create a single, live source for project creation.

Kengo Kuma’s architectural designs range from the whimsical (Asakusa Cultural and Tourism Center, a wildly stacked pillar of houses) to the dramatic (the steamship-shaped Victoria and Albert Museum rising in Dundee, Scotland), to the deceptively simple (Great (Bamboo) Wall, a house in China).

Through them he has discovered his calling – celebrating natural materials and creating human connections – and learned that a computer can be an architect’s best friend.

In the years after World War II, Japanese architects grappled with building homes and businesses to replace what the conflict had destroyed and accommodate booming post-war growth. Japan needed fast recovery as its top priority, and its “first generation” architects delivered.(more…)